Puzzling Rhythms
by The Mocking J
Summary: Professor Layton gets called in to Paris to help catch an infamous rhythm thief. However, it seems that Phantom R may not be the true culprit in this latest case... (Formerly titled "Woeuf".)
1. Chance Encounter

_**[[My first crossover fanfic. Correction: my first fanfic outside the Professor Layton fandom, and quite a short one at that. *Hyperventilates.* I'm not entirely sure how much attention this will receive. If there are any fans of **_**Professor Layton**_** and **_**Rhythm ****Thief and the Emperor's Treasure**_** out there, please review. Let me know I'm not alone! Or if you're new to either fandom, I recommend you try both games (series).**_

**Disclaimer:**_** I own neither of these games or their charming characters.**_

* * *

From the moment he first tried French cuisine, Luke Triton knew he loved this country. He'd been born and raised in England's capitol with a "propah" cockney accent to prove it. Still, if Luke's family ever had to more abroad, he would definitely convince his parents to come here.

Despite the typical bustle of city life, Paris was notably different to London: there was the delicious cultural food (of course), aesthetically pleasing architecture like the Eiffel Tower and the Gothic Notre Dame, fine art collections that couldn't be found anywhere else, elegant fashions, and the rich history of a nation that had undergone so much change.

Luke had shared many exciting adventures with Professor Hershel Layton, English gentleman, eminent archaeologist, and puzzle solver extraordinaire, but Luke never imagined they would be invited to Paris of all places.

"It's amazing, Professah," the boy in blue gushed. "Who would've thought you were famous even in France?"

While the professor knew London like the back of his hand, it was taking the pair quite a long time to traverse these unfamiliar Paris streets. Luke didn't mind too much; they'd passed a little bakery where the professor bought him a ham and cheese baguette.

Layton consulted the city map in his hands, replying modestly to his apprentice "I wouldn't say that, Luke. Remember, Inspector Vergier requested our assistance with a case here."

A letter arrived at the professor's office several weeks ago, from a French police inspector surprisingly enough. Though the professor's specialties were mysteries and puzzle solving, he often aided Scotland Yard and had unmasked a few villains during his investigations. Vergier had probably heard about his line of work.

As they crossed a road, Luke munched on his baguette and mused "It must be a pretty important case since he called us all the way from England."

"Indeed. Inspector Vergier requires our help in apprehending a criminal who has been at large for some time now. Apparently the thief even managed to escape the famed Paris Roller Skate Brigade..."

Luke attempted to cover up his snort of laughter by asking, "So, what's our thief like?"

"His name is 'Phantom R'."

Luke sucked in a quick breath. _Phantom R. _The name hung in the air with an almost palpable sense of rhythm and power; quite fitting for an elusive thief.

The professor pulled out the newspaper clipping that had accompanied Vergier's letter, showing it to his young assistant. Luke couldn't decipher a word of the French text, but he did study the article photos. One was a picture of a grand building with an army of policemen outside. (Obviously the crime scene.) Luke could barely make out the figure in the other photo because they were cast in shadow.

The professor explained "This is a news report detailing Phantom R's latest break-in at the Louvre Museum. He is known for stealing valuable artwork or cultural artefacts. However, he warns the Constabulary about his heists ahead of time, and the artwork is always returned several days later."

"But why would he do that?"

"Perhaps Phantom R doesn't steal for riches, but rather enjoys the media coverage it brings him," the archaeologist smiled.

Luke sighed "Then why is Inspector Vergier so obsessed with catching him?

"Despite Phantom R's... peculiar ways, he is still a thief. It is Inspector Vergier's duty to stop him."

"Inspector Vergier almost sounds as scary as Inspector Chelmey," Luke muttered.

Layton chuckled, "They do seem to resemble one another. Inspector Vergier certainly shares Inspector Chelmey's dedication for tackling crime. Vergier even mentioned that his child has tried to arrest Phantom R..."

"Well, we'd better meet him before he gets impatient," Luke said, looking around. "We need to find the Constabulary Headquarters. Do you think someone could give us directions?"

The professor approached a tall girl with curly brown hair standing on the pavement opposite them. He tipped his top hat in greeting. "Pardon moi, Mademoiselle..." Luke didn't catch the rest. (He'd been amazed to learn the professor was fairly fluent in French. Was there anything Professor Layton _couldn't_ do?)

The girl smiled at him, nodded, and answered his query. He thanked her and bid her "au revoir".

Layton told Luke, "That young lady said we're currently on Rue Rambuteau. The Constabulary Headquarters should be just down this road."

"Oh, not more walking," Luke groaned, collapsing onto the pavement.

"Now, Luke, even a true gentleman needs to get some exercise," Layton lectured half-heartedly. He too had sat down for a minute to regain his breath. "Though, admittedly, I do miss the Laytonmobile..."

Luke was about to take another bite of his ham and cheese baguette. However, when he lifted his arm, he realized the baguette was gone. Luke stared at the empty wrapper until he eventually turned his head. There sitting beside him was a white dog with pointy ears and a red bandanna around its neck. The canine licked his lips and let out a burp.

"Hey!" Luke protested. He anxiously tugged on his mentor's sleeve. "Professah, did you see that? That dog _ate my baguette_!"

Layton looked from Luke to the dog, a bemused expression on his face. He was honestly at a complete loss of what to say.

Usually Luke adored animals. But this one had come between Luke and his lunch. "It's not nice to take people's food!" Luke angrily scolded the dog.

The dog's ears drooped and he whimpered. "Hrrrn..."

"Don't be disheartened, my boy," the professor consoled him. "I suspect the fellow was just hungry, similarly to yourself. He does seem genuinely sorry now, don't you think?"

"I guess so," Luke grumbled. The dog tentatively nuzzled his hand, apologetic (or possibly searching for any crumbs he'd missed). "Fine, I forgive you."

"Woeuf! Woeuf!"

Luke finally dissolved into fits of laughter when the dog plastered his face with wet licks, tail wagging. "Okay, okay, s-stop...!"

"_Fondue?"_

The dog's ears perked up. On the other side of the street, a red haired boy in a dark blue jumper was calling:

"_FONDUUUUE!" _

'Fondue' gave Luke a farewell-lick before racing towards the boy, who was evidently his owner. Reunited, the boy and his canine companion went on their way.

"'_Fondue'_... That's a funny name," Luke grinned.

"But it has a charming appeal to it," the professor mirrored his smile. "I wonder how he received such a unique name..." Layton stood, offering his apprentice a hand up. "Come along, Luke. Let's hurry to the Constabulary."

"Right, Professah!"

Meanwhile, at the end of the street, the red haired young man was frowning at the dog with his arms folded across his chest. "So, you ditched me to steal some kid's food? I should've known."

"Woeurf..." Fondue whined as if to say: _"I can't help it that I'm ALWAYS hungry!" _

Raphael rolled his eyes, the corners of his mouth lifting into a smirk. "What am I gonna do with you?"

Then he turned to watch Fondue's two new friends walking down Rue Livio. The small boy and the gentleman clearly weren't from around here. They were probably tourists, judging by their clothes.

"And people think _my_ disguise is overkill..." Raphael whistled at the gentleman's bizarre top hat. "Speakin' of disguise—" In a flash, he changed into his Phantom R getup.

No sooner had Phantom R appeared, a football went flying past him.

"I've got you this time, Phantom R...!"

"Uh oh, here comes Charlie. Let's cheese it, Fondue!"

"_Woo-woeuf!" _


	2. The Paris Constabulary

_**[[Ok, I know I made a Poll asking what sort of crossover people wanted to see me write and a Layton Brothers Mystery Room fic was top of the agenda. But after reading a wonderful Rhythm Thief fic, I had the urge to update this story. (There's a Mystery Room oneshot on its way though, I promise. Fear not Lucifendi fans!) **_

_**So, Woeuf has gone for a cute oneshot to a multi-chaptered story about our heroes. I changed the title and added some more characters to the story :D I also amend my earlier Author's Note. The story is definitely set after **__**The Emperor's Treasure**__** so expect SPOILERS for Rhythm Thief, especially regarding certain characters' identities. For Professor Layton, it's still set during the first trilogy; could contain some SPOILERS but nothing major.]]**_

* * *

"Au revoir, Mama," Marie waved tearfully as her mother boarded a private plane. The Duchess Elizabeth had received an urgent message yesterday beseeching that she rendezvous with an old acquaintance in Greece. Although Marie understood the affair was of the upmost importance, it still devastated her to be torn apart from her mother, especially after all Marie had gone through to find her.

Noticing Marie's watery blue eyes, Alfred offered his young mistress a silk handkerchief. Marie supplied the butler with a sad albeit grateful smile and dabbed at her cheeks.

Once the Duchess's plane had safely taken to the sky, the two of them walked out of the terminal, attracting the attention of several passengers waiting to catch their flights. Marie blushed under the weight of their curious stares. It had been publically revealed that she was Duchess Elizabeth's daughter months before, but she was still the target of their scrutiny and wonder. _So_, _**this **__is the mysterious girl the Duchess painstakingly hid at the_ _St. Louré Convent seventeen years ago, _they whispered. _How was she involved in the Chevaliers Diabolique's plan...? She's a wonderful violinist...! I heard she and the infamous Phantom R are an item... _

Marie was very thankful when she and Alfred exited the Aéroport de Paris-Orly. However, before Marie could follow Alfred to the car, she heard a sound so distraught, it nearly broke her heart. Someone was sobbing. Unable to ignore a person in need, Marie turned to discover the source of the weeping.

Sitting dejectedly on the pavement was a brown haired girl wearing a peach coloured dress, a pale yellow headscarf, and green rimmed glasses. There was a bulging yellow bag beside her. In her hands she clutched a Parisian tourist map as if it was the key to her salvation. (She was obviously a tourist of some sort.)

Slowly, Marie approached the girl, stooping to her level. "There, there, you don't need to cry," Marie tried to sooth her. "Can you tell me what the matter is?"

The girl looked at Marie but then she shook her head frantically. "I— _I can't understand you!" _She burst into tears again.

"Oh, you don't speak French..." Marie quietly realized, ashamed for distressing the British girl even more. No wonder she was so frightened if she didn't believe anyone in the whole of France would understand her. (This was far from the truth, of course.)

Luckily, Marie had learnt some English from her ex-guardian Jean-François, the convent school teacher. Marie's mother also deemed it essential for her to continue studying foreign languages; therefore Marie had been assigned many tutors since moving to the Palace of Versailles.

Sometimes Marie could even produce a plausible British accent.

Marie said to the girl in her best English, "Can you understand me _now..._? What's your name?"

The girl hiccupped before answering, "F-Flora Reinhold."

"Okay Flora," Marie smiled; glad they could finally comprehend each other's words. "I'm Marie. Please tell me, why are you so upset?"

"I'm... I'm _lost_," Flora emitted a small wail. "I followed the professor and Luke here on a plane because I didn't want to be left behind. B-but I have no idea which way they've gone! W-w-what if I never see them again...?"

Before Marie could inquire who the professor and Luke were, Alfred came charging across the parking lot. He puffed with relief when he spotted her. "There you are, Marie. You mustn't run off like that!"

"Sorry to worry you, Alfred," Marie apologised to him in French. She pointed to the girl beside her. "This is Flora. She's lost her family... I think."

The butler bowed to Flora in greeting and asked Marie, "Does she have any inkling at all where her family has gone?" (Marie relayed the question to Flora.)

"I... I think the professor said they were going to Paris," Flora put a finger to her chin. "The professor received a letter from a French police inspector called Ver... Inspector _Ver- _something. I'm sorry; I can't remember the rest of his name!"

"Was it _Inspector Vergier_?" Marie gasped.

"_That's it!"_ Flora beamed at her, clapping her hands delightedly. "Do you know Inspector Vergier?"

Marie smiled, nodding. "Yes, we do. He helped rescue me once... Maybe your professor and Luke went to the Paris Constabulary to meet him."

"You're probably right..." Flora grabbed her yellow bag and stood up, gazing around tentatively. "I-is there a bus stop nearby? How much would a ride from here to the Paris Constabulary cost? What should I say to the bus driver?"

Marie winced as she imagined the British girl trying to explain her predicament to a bus driver. Flora seemed slightly younger than Marie. But she was so similar to how Marie had been once upon a time; scared, naive, _alone_... until she'd met Phantom R. Marie knew was there was no way she could let Flora go by herself.

"It takes nearly an hour to get to Paris from here," Marie informed her gently. "We can give you a lift straight to the Constabulary."

Flora hesitated. (Marie could sympathise if she didn't want to travel with strangers.) "Y-you've already done so much to help me... I wouldn't want to be a bother..."

Marie held her hand out to Flora. "Come on. It's no trouble at all, really."

Eventually, Flora accepted Marie's hand. With Alfred carrying Flora's luggage, the three of them traipsed across the car park.

Flora breathed in awe when she saw of the Duchess's sleek black car. "Wow..." Alfred opened the vehicle's back door for her with a flourish. Flora clambered inside and Marie followed her. After putting Flora's bag into the trunk, Alfred got into driver's seat and they were off to the Paris Constabulary.

_**-PR-**_

The Constabulary Headquarters was a strongly guarded gold brick building not dissimilar to Scotland Yard. There was a constable called Loic waiting at the entrance to greet Professor Layton and Luke when they arrived. As Loic led them through the corridors, their footsteps echoed off shiny floorboards. In several minutes they'd reached a hall lined with sturdy brown doors and numerous pot plants. Loic knocked on a door opposite a filing cabinet.

An irritated grunt came from within the room. _"Entrez!"_

Obeying the command, Layton and his apprentice trooped into the office. Whichever direction they looked they were met with case files; the crammed shelves covering walls, the desk, even the floor. Seated in a black chair behind the desk was a dark haired man in a white shirt and a messy red tie.

The tall man stood erect when the pair entered and slammed down the documents he'd been scanning. "Bonjour, Professeur Layton," he rumbled.

Layton tipped his hat. "Bonjour, Inspector Vergier."

"Coh... He really is scarier than Chelmey," Luke muttered.

Vergier aimed a glare at the boy. He growled in English through a notable French accent, "I _can_ understand you, you know."

Luke darted behind his mentor. The professor raised his hands in a calming gesture to the inspector. "Please excuse Luke. He didn't mean any disrespect."

"Yeah, s-sorry!" Luke squeaked.

"Harumph." Vergier lowered himself into his chair once more. "I'm glad you were able to make it so quickly, Professeur... Here, read this." He chucked the case file on his desk to Layton, which the professor caught and opened. Luke pined for a glance as well. The file contained a police report and photos of assorted artefacts recently stolen from the Louvre Museum... and the prime suspect was none other than Phantom R.

"I thought that boy had put his unlawful behaviour behind him in these past few months," Vergier sighed. "But I was wrong."

"What led you to believe he had changed his criminal ways?" the professor inquired.

"He aided the Constabulary in Paris's hour of need. Are you aware of the crisis involving the Chevaliers Diabolique and the Hanging Gardens?"

The professor nodded. "Of course, it was all over the news when it happened."

"What's the _Chevaliers Diabolique_?" Luke wondered loudly. (Neither of the adults explained it to him though.)

"So, you see, I was very surprised when I heard about Phantom R's latest break-in," Vergier said.

Layton cupped his chin in his hand thoughtfully. "Are you quite certain that Phantom R is the only suspect at hand?"

The inspector scoffed, "Who _else _could be the perpetrator besides the rhythm thief? He has a history of stealing from the Louvre!"

Layton smiled. "In that case, I propose we visit the Louvre and search for clues pointing to the true perpetrator."

* * *

_**[[It was hard to work around the language barrier between our English/French heroes. I figured Layton and Vergier can speak a bit of both languages they're intelligent. Marie already has an English accent, so let's say she gets language tutors because of her status. Charlie could learn basic English from her father... And Phantom R will be forever alone because he'll have no one to talk to. (Kidding, I love you Raphael.) I hope this justifies the dialogue. It's either that or they go through the whole story without communicating. :D]]**_


	3. Travelling Companions?

_**[[I'm having a blast developing the friendships between Luke/Charlie and Marie/Flora. So I went ahead and wrote the next chapter!]]**_

* * *

Inspector Vergier notified his commissioner of where they were going and ordered Constable Loic to cover the desk. He, Layton and Luke had barely stepped out of the Constabulary when they encountered some commotion in the street.

A familiar white dog was dashing down the pavement as fast as his little paws would carry him. There seemed to be a brown cap wedged in his mouth. Hot on the hound's heels was a furious boy, his brown trench coat flapping behind him wildly.

"Look Professah, it's Fondue again— _W-whoa!_" The dog crashed into Luke's legs and Luke went down with a yell, his blue hat falling off his head. Fondue had also dropped the brown cap in the collision, which had landed on Luke's face funnily enough.

Frantically sniffing along the pavement, Fondue located what he believed to be his lost loot and fled... with Luke's hat by mistake. The boy in the trench coat skidded to a halt and shook his fist after the canine, cursing him in French. He turned as Layton lifted a groaning Luke to his feet.

"_Mon chapeau!" _The boy exclaimed angrily, swiping the brown cap off Luke's temples.

"O-oh, that's your hat? Sorry..." Luke apologised dazedly as the boy stuffed his cap over his dirty blonde hair.

"My impertinent child, Charlotte," Inspector Vergier introduced the boy— who was actually a _girl—_ to the professor and Luke.

"_Je m'appelle Charlie..._ I am _Charlie_!" she snapped. Charlie pointed between the two strangers, glowering at her father. "Who are _they_?"

"Show some respect," Vergier barked. "This is the esteemed Professor Layton and his little friend from England." (_"I'm the professah's apprentice,"_ Luke automatically corrected him.) "They are here to help the Constabulary apprehend Phantom R."

"_Quoi? Non!_ It's _my _job to apprehend the Phantom! He's _my _sworn enemy! I nearly caught him earlier, but then his stupid dog stole my cap..."

Luke blinked at the girl in bemusement. She couldn't have been much older than him, yet her goal was to capture a wanted criminal single-handedly. Charlie had even dubbed the rhythm thief as her "sworn enemy". (She sounded rather like Don Paolo, Professor Layton's self-proclaimed nemesis.)

Vergier scolded her, "I have told you time and time again, it is the _Constabulary's_ duty to uphold the law. Not a _child's_."

Charlie thrust her finger at Luke. "_He_'s allowed the accompany you. And he's smaller than me!"

"Hey," Luke retorted. "I'm not _that _much smaller—"

"That's _enough,_" Professor Layton halted their arguments. "Why don't we all investigate the Louvre together? Inspector, I'm sure your daughter will be an asset to our examination."

Though Charlie hadn't interpreted everything the top-hatted gentleman had said, she was grinning. (She liked this British professor already)._ "Allons-y! _Let's go, then!" she declared, marching down the road, much to her father's chagrin. "To the Louvre!"

"But what about my _hat_?" Luke moaned. "Mum chose that one for me specially..."

Pleased that someone else finally shared her pain; Charlie smirked and patted Luke on the head. "Trust me, if Phantom R's dog has your hat, you'll never see it again. It's gone forever."

Luke gaped at her. "That was _Phantom R_'s dog? We saw him earlier— he stole my baguette too!"

"Really? Was Phantom R with him?"

"I don't think so... We just saw a red-haired boy calling to him. The boy wasn't dressed like a thief at all."

Charlie hummed thoughtfully. "Interesting... I'll have to look into this..."

_**-PR-**_

Flora couldn't stop gawking out the car window as they drove through Paris. Her large doe eyes lit up, not wanting to miss a single sight of the dazzling city. Feeling safer, she'd removed her glasses and her headscarf earlier, revealing a wavy brown ponytail tied with a red ribbon.

Marie smiled at Flora's excitement. "If you have time, you and your family should definitely explore the city later," Marie suggested. "The Tuileries Garden is lovely, and then there's the Paris Opéra, Notre Dame, the Palace of Versailles..." Marie trailed off. She hadn't told Flora that she was the Duchess Elizabeth's daughter; otherwise Flora might feel indebted to her.

However, Flora didn't notice Marie's hesitation. She nodded eagerly, still staring at the Eiffel Tower in the distance. "I'd love to see it all! Professor Layton will probably want to visit some museums or galleries, and I bet Luke won't stop eating till we've been to every cafe in Paris." As she said this, her stomach gave an audible gurgle. Flora blushed. "E-excuse me... I was so worried earlier; I forgot to have lunch..." Catching the blonde's concerned expression, Flora smiled sheepishly. "It's okay though; I packed some food in my bag. I'll just eat when we stop."

"Here we are," Marie announced when Alfred pulled up in front of the Constabulary Headquarters ten minutes later. The butler was adamant to accompany the young ladies, but Marie insisted they would be perfectly fine and that he should rest. (Plus, the local people were less likely to recognise her if she went about unchaperoned.) Once they'd retrieved Flora's luggage from the boot, Flora offered Marie one of her squashed "homemade cucumber sandwiches", which her new friend politely declined after seeing how mouldy the bread was.

"You need it more than me," was Marie's excuse as they walked through the Constabulary's imposing archway. Inside, the pair asked a quivering constable if they could speak with Inspector Vergier. The constable stuttered that the inspector was currently out on a case. Disappointed, Marie and Flora trudged back outside.

Flora snivelled. "Who knows how long Inspector Vergier will be? The professor might be gone by the time he returns!"

Before Marie could comfort Flora, she heard barking and a familiar voice that was like smooth music to her ears:

"Hey, Marie!"

_**-PR-**_

_Where is that dog? He should've shaken off Charlie by now..._

Phantom R leaned against a lamppost opposite the Constabulary HQ, his face concealed by a newspaper he'd borrowed... okay, _nicked _from a middle-aged man nearby. (The guy had been about the throw it away anyway.)

This particular issue of the Eiffel Bugle had piqued the young thief's attention because it contained an article titled "_THE PHANTOM RETURNS?" _Usually, Raphael loved being the star of the media. The problem was Phantom R _hadn't _been responsible for the chain of robberies from the Louvre in these last few weeks. In fact, he hadn't stepped foot inside the museum since he stolen the Bracelet of Tiamat. He'd been way too busy following a lead possibly linked to his father's whereabouts.

So, either the press was spreading rumours... or someone else was purloining under his good name. They were just cramping Phantom R's style! Not everyone could pull off a grand heist and flawlessly replace the valuables later.

A _"Roeuf!" _interrupted Raphael's reverie.

"Oh, there you are," Raphael smiled down at Fondue, who was panting with exhaustion. "You look beat! Charlie must've really wanted her cap back."

His rival's expression had been priceless when he pinched her cap. This had led to a game of "Keep the cap away from Charlie". It consisted of Charlie running around like a headless chicken while Phantom R and Fondue tossed the hat back and forth between them. Phantom R planned on returning Charlie's cap... eventually.

"Maybe we could mail it back to her," he laughed. "Or send her on a crazy scavenger hunt to find it."

"Woeuf!" Fondue agreed. He proudly deposited the cap at his master's feet and sat with his tongue lolling.

Raphael took one look at the item and face-palmed. "Aw, Fondue... That's not Charlie's cap— its _blue! _I know you're colour blind but... _seriously?"_

Fondue sniffed the flat blue cap. He whined when he realized he'd made a mix up. "Hrrrrn..."

"Never mind," Raphael sighed, picking up the ownerless cap. (He was certain he'd seen it before...) "We'll just turn it in at the Constabulary's Lost and Found." He ditched his Phantom R disguise and they crossed the road...

That was when Raphael saw her coming out of the Constabulary.

The afternoon sunshine stroked her hair like a shimmering golden halo. Her face was twisted with worry, but still sweet as he remembered. He felt himself floating through irises the colour of the endless sky...

_Marie_.

Fondue barked to awaken him from his frozen stupor. Raphael had nearly missed the brunette girl next to Marie. Fighting the heat rising in his cheeks, Raphael rushed towards them with an ecstatic; "Hey, Marie!"

"_Raphael!"_ Marie finished the distance between them and flung her arms around his neck. She hadn't seen him since that night she performed at the Paris Opéra.

"T-take it easy..." Raphael laughed. He nodded to the brown haired girl, who was awkwardly standing on the edge of the couple. "Who's this...?"

"O-oh, I'm sorry..." Flustered, Marie pulled away from him as the girl gradually approached them. "Raphael, this is Flora. We met at the airport." Then she informed Flora in English (surprisingly), "This is Raphael, a very good friend of mine. And his partner, Fondue."

"Woeuf!"

"Hi, Flora," Raphael extended a palm for the brunette to shake. "That's a pretty name."

Flora glanced at Marie, who translated Raphael's compliment. Smiling, Flora was about to shake his hand, when she noticed the blue cap in his grasp. She gasped, "Luke's hat!"

Seeing Raphael's confused expression, Marie explained, "That hat belongs to Luke, Flora's friend. We're searching for him along with her guardian, Professor Layton."

Raphael wondered if these were the boy in blue and the top-hatted gentleman he'd seen earlier. "Why don't we let Fondue sniff them out?" he suggested, stooping so his partner could have a good whiff of Luke's cap. After a moment, Fondue howled and started following his nose down the pavement. "He's got the scent. C'mon, let's shake it!"

Understanding their intentions, Flora cheered and skipped after the dog. "We're coming, Professor!"

Marie faltered, however. "I really should tell Alfred where we're going first..." She switched to French and lowered her voice as they trailed after Flora. "And Raphael, Flora said Inspector Vergier might be with the professor. What if he recognises you?"

Raphael waved at her casually. "Relax! Vergier doesn't know my secret identity. He's smart, but he's not _that _smart."


	4. Investigating the Louvre

From chatting to Professor Layton, Charlie had learned she shared some things in common with the English gentleman, such as a drive to prevent wrongdoers and a love for piping hot tea. However, solving puzzles was definitely _not _on Charlie's priorities list. (Playing football and capturing Phantom R was already top of her agenda.)

Puzzles, puzzles, puzzles. The professor and his blue sidekick seemed to attract them wherever they went! Their journey to the Louvre would've been twice as short had Parisians quit pestering the pair with brainteasers. "Why can't you people solve your own darn puzzles?" Charlie scorned as she hauled Luke away from a painter showing him a jigsaw of the Mona Lisa's face.

The four of them finally reached the Louvre's courtyard, which was currently closed off to the public and surrounded by police barriers. They were distracted _yet again _when Inspector Vergier spied a news reporter with a camera trying to sneak into the building. He warned the woman to clear off unless she wanted a hefty fine for trespassing during a police inspection. The reporter scurried away. Furious, Vergier stomped through the museum's main entrance, the large glass and metal Louvre Pyramid. _("Non, that does NOT remind you of another puzzle, Professeur!") _

Vergier stormed up to a security guard loitering in the threshold. "Why isn't someone manning the police barricades outside?" the inspector demanded. "I just caught a reporter breaching the premises. Don't let it happen again!" The guard frantically apologised and went to fix the problem at once. Vergier shook his head, grumbling "Must be a rookie…"

"Since you _clearly _have things under control here, old man," Charlie smirked at her father. "I'm going to start searching for clues." She strode off towards the Mesopotamian Exhibit, where Phantom R had stolen the Bracelet of Tiamat months before. (The thief had probably returned to the scene of his previous crime.) Luke stared after the brash, independent girl, reminded very much of a fiery assistant Professor Layton used to have.

"On that note," the professor said, "We should begin investigating as well, Inspector."

"_D'accord,"_ Vergier agreed. "Let's check the security room first. If Phantom R has been here, the cameras might have picked something up." He led Layton and Luke up an escalator to the second floor, through the Art Display Corridor filled with glass casings and sculptures, until they reached a narrow hallway. Vergier clicked a button besides a set of blue doors, and uttered his name.

"_ERROR! UNAUTHROISED VOICE!"_ the system responded in a blaring robotic tone.

Inspector Vergier glared at the device. He punched the button and repeated himself, with no luck. Confused, he turned to Layton. "I installed this sound activated security lock myself. It should recognise my voice..."

"Perhaps one of the guards altered the system recently?" Layton suggested.

Vergier nodded thoughtfully. "That's possible… Though, they should have requested my permission before doing so. I will see if Joseph can open the door…"

Five minutes later, Vergier returned with a robust female security guard in tow, who clearly wasn't the Joseph he spoke of earlier. The guard apologised for the inconvenience and spoke her name into the security system: _"Isabelle Giles"._

"_VOICE DETECTED. HELLO, ISABELLE. HOW IS YOUR PATROL GOING? RELEASING LOCK." _The doors slid open.

Professor Layton tipped his hat gratefully to Isabelle, but Vergier raised a bushy eyebrow at her. "Do you know when Joseph will be back?"

The red haired lady shrugged. "No idea, Inspector. I just started working here last week." Her task complete, Isabelle slouched back to her post in the Art Display Corridor.

Luke's jaw dropped as they entered the dimly lit security room. He had never seen so many screens! Vergier approached a panel with a flashing red light, explaining, "This is the control panel. No matter how strong security is, Phantom R often manages to infiltrate this room and disable the cameras…"

"The security room isn't very _secure, _is it?" Luke quipped.

Ignoring the boy, Vergier's fingers glided across the silver keyboard, displaying clips on the screens from the last few nights.

"What's _this_?" Professor Layton drew their attention to a camera showing the Denon Wing of the museum. "Could we watch that clip again, Inspector?" Vergier reversed the recording and they observed intently. A figure in dark blue could be seen darting down the Denon Wing; little more than a shadow as they hid behind cabinets and statues. On the intruder's head was a fedora that obscured their facial features from view.

"It definitely _looks_ like Phantom R…" Vergier hummed. "But he's usually more cautious than this. I'm surprised he didn't meddle with the cameras before running around the museum floor." He frowned. "The guards should have informed me of this footage earlier…"

Layton studied the figure for another minute. The whole recording seemed quite… staged. Either the rhythm thief was incredibly confident or there was more to this then met the eye. Eventually the professor proposed, "Why don't we examine the Denon Wing next?"

By the time they made it downstairs, however, Charlie had finished combing the entire first floor from top to bottom. The young detective explained to them, "I've already interviewed every security guard— they weren't much help at all. Each of them was very vague and told me the same thing: They definitely saw Phantom R whenever there was a break-in. But there's no clear link between any of the items he's stolen, and nothing has been returned yet." Charlie pulled a crumpled slip of white paper out of her coat pocket. "I also found _this _on the floor in the Mesopotamian Exhibit…"

Scrawled on the paper was a single word: _Portsmouth. _

"Isn't that in _England_?" Luke realized.

Layton added, "Not only that, Portsmouth is on the south _coast_ of England... May I have a closer look at it, please?"

Charlie passed him the note for inspection and asked, "So, did you lot find anything useful?"

"We might've spotted Phantom R on camera," Luke told her excitedly.

"Harumph," Vergier scratched his stubbly chin. "I have a few questions for those guards myself…"

"Inspector," the professor inquired suddenly, grasping the paper in his hand. "I apologise for departing so quickly, but would you mind if Luke and I returned to our hotel? There's something I'd like to check..."

"Of course, if you think you can garner any more information," Vergier allowed. "Now, I must speak with the museum security about their lacking standards."

"I think I'll stick with you two," Charlie decided, looking at Layton and Luke. "I want to see what you discover. After all, it was _me _who found that note. And besides, I don't want to be around when my father chews out those guards…"

_**-PR-**_

Fondue poked his head through the barricade. _"Woeuf!"_

"The scent carries on through there, huh?" Raphael said. He, Marie and Flora had tracked trail of Luke's hat all the way to the Louvre. However, they were unable to enter because the courtyard had been blocked off by the Paris Constabulary… Raphael simply pushed past the barriers. Flora watched him dubiously, wondering if it was wise to follow the rebellious boy.

"Raphael, wait," Marie warned him. "The police are in there…"

"Well, the police will just have to make allowances," Raphael shrugged. "C'mon, Flora's family could be this way—" He was abruptly cut off by Flora's joyful shouts. She was jumping up and down, frantically waving to some people coming out of the museum. As the people got closer, Raphael smiled. It was the top-hatted gentleman, Professor Layton and the boy in blue, Luke– just who they were looking for. However, there seemed to be another person with them. Raphael squinted. Was that… _Charlie? _

Hearing his adopted daughter's voice, Professor Layton sprinted to the barricades, a disbelieving expression across his face. _"Flora!" _He caught her in a hug; relieved tears streamed down Flora's cheeks. The professor said something sounding fairly stern. He looked Flora up and down, probably asking if she was alright, how on Earth she ended up in Paris, how worried he would've been if something had happened to her… Then Luke also hugged Flora, and she started bawling all over again. When the emotional exchange was over, Flora introduced the pair to her heroes, and Luke introduced Charlie to Flora. Layton thanked Marie and Raphael profusely in French for bringing Flora safely to them.

Raphael nodded, grinning. "It's no problem." He passed the blue hat to Luke. "And I think _this _belongs to you." Luke crowed happily and returned his hat to his head. Charlie laughed at Luke, but her smile disappeared when she locked gazes with Raphael.

Charlie gasped. Her eyes darted between the blue hat, the white dog, and the red-haired boy. In that moment, she made the ultimate connection. "Y-you…" Charlie pointed a quivering finger at Raphael. "That's _your dog— _YOU'RE _PHANTOM R!_"

"Uh oh…" Raphael gulped. He didn't think Charlie would ever work it out. (She was smarter than he gave her credit for.) He flashed a grin at Marie. "Well, it was nice seeing you again, Marie! And it was great meeting you all, Flora, Professor and Luke…" He quickly said his goodbyes while Charlie was still stunned.

Then Raphael ran for his life.

* * *

_**[[Just for the record, Isabelle is an OC— not a major character, but I can't explain anything without giving the plot away. However, the reporter that they saw earlier is a minor character from Rhythm Thief. She'll also be serving some purpose later… **_

_**Its been brought to my attention that there's an imbalance of RT characters compared to the PL cast, which I apologize for. I can guarantee that there'll be another Layton character showing up sometime later... and there'll be references to other Layton characters, such as Emmy mentioned in this chapter. :D]]**_


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